


oh, i believe you when you say it like that

by keepthemclose



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dirty Talk, F/M, Kinktober, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Praise Kink, Voice Kink, barista!gendry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:08:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26744149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepthemclose/pseuds/keepthemclose
Summary: It was hard to imagine so many people falling in love with nothing but a voice. But that was until she heard his.Arya finds herself hooked on audio erotica by a man known only as The Bull. But when she listens, all she imagines is Gendry, the neighborhood barista she can't stop thinking about.For the Gendrya Kinktober prompt "dirty talk"
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters
Comments: 171
Kudos: 330
Collections: Gendrya Kinktober 2020





	1. the regular

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a drabble but I ended up writing 2000 words of smut instead...oops!

When Sansa first sent her the article, Arya almost spit out her coffee. _How do you sell erotica to millennial women? Make it more like podcasts._

_Arya: podcasts are not sexy. that is precisely the time i do not want to be interrupted by a casper mattress ad!!_

_Sansa: Did you even read the article? It sounds quite intriguing…_

_Arya: so this is basically horny headspace_

_Sansa: Basically._

Arya skimmed the article, which largely focused on a new startup that churned out “sexy audio stories” in a sleek, well-designed mobile app with fancy fonts for $10 a month. Fuck if she was going to pay $10 a month when the product focused only on “building the anticipation” and “getting you in the mood.” But it was the paragraph about other established figures in the erotic audio space that caught her eye.

The author noted that one of the most popular voices belonged to a man known only as The Bull. He kept his identity anonymous but had an extremely dedicated fanbase. New posts garnered thousands of comments. On Patreon, he was one of the most popular creators in the 18+ category.

Out of curiosity, Arya checked out The Bull’s website one night. To her surprise, the website was simple but easy to navigate. There weren’t flashy colors or explicit ads. There was just an exceedingly long list of tags which made her blush even though she was alone in her apartment. _Rough. Toys. Cunnilingus. Hair pulling. Friends to lovers. Public sex._

It was hard to imagine so many people falling in love with nothing but a voice. But that was until she heard his.

_Play with yourself. I need you to be ready. Rub your little clit._

The man’s voice was smooth and deep, light and playful one minute, serious and commanding the next. He did just the right amount of scene setting and for the ones tagged BDSM and MDom/FSub, he focused a lot on aftercare.

_Stay right there sweetheart, I’m going to run you a bath and get you some tea. I also ordered your favorite Postmates._

In some clips he sounded more flirty, in others more romantic, and in most of them, just plain filthy. Arya’s favorite clips were the ones that seamlessly blended all three.

He used sound effects that were so vivid — spanking, wet slaps, rhythmic creaking, heavy kisses — that Arya wondered if they were real. The thought made her almost jealous. (His FAQ thankfully confirmed that he produced all of his own sounds “solo” or with the help of lube and sound effects repositories. Who knew lube could be an instrument one could master?)

The first audio clip she listened to had her fumbling in her drawer for her vibrator within minutes. When she closed her eyes and heard him growl how he wanted to fuck her, she shuddered. It felt like he was right there with her.

_Feel me as I slide inside you. How does that feel? You're so fucking tight. Just wrap your arms around me and I’ll show you how good you make me feel._

The sound of a hard thrust, a chuckle.

_Sweetheart, I told you to hold onto me._

When she came, she pulled her headphones out in a daze, not because she had just gotten herself off so quickly to a stranger’s voice in her ear, but because the stranger she’d pictured saying such dirty things to her was no one other than Gendry.

* * *

Gendry. The stupidly hot barista at Hot Pie’s Crossroads Cafe who she’s seen almost every day for over a year, who asks her how her classes and fencing are going and sneaks her extra stamps on her loyalty punch card. The gorgeous man with dark hair, broad shoulders, and startling blue eyes that crinkle in the most adorable way when she makes him smile when another customer is annoying. (He rarely smiles. She once made him laugh by wearing a truly terrible acorn dress in an effort to appease her mom when she visited.)

The guy she can’t bring herself to ask out but regularly imagines in decidedly steamy situations that have nothing to do with coffee, dictated by some person on the internet. 

The few minutes of small talk she has with him when she’s waiting for her coffee or when he comes to clear away her dishes while she’s studying at her favorite corner table are the highlights of her week.

It’s one of the first few days that truly feels like fall. She’s finally traded in shorts for leggings and thrown on her favorite leather jacket. Gendry is wearing a black sweater that hugs his muscled torso perfectly.

“The usual,” Gendry hands her a large Americano before she can even order and flashes her a smile.

Arya thanks him, her fingers brushing against his lightly while taking the cup. Of course he’s remembered her order by now, but a small part of her wishes he hadn’t, just so she’d have an excuse to talk to him for a little while longer.

He’s not a big talker, usually speaking in clipped sentences, and she’s hungry for every little detail he lets slip out. She wants to ask him what he thinks about the new Brotherhood Without Banners album (though from its heavy rotation in the cafe, she can guess he likes it) and learn more about his side business he’d casually mentioned a few months ago. It’s a little obsessive to count their interactions in these micro moments, but she’ll take the seconds where she can get them.

She turns around to head to class when Gendry calls her back. He doesn’t usually address her by her name and it sounds so good in his mouth.

“Yeah, Gendry?”

He stares at her for a few seconds, mouth hanging open slightly as though he wants to say something. Then he fumbles for the pastry tongs and a paper bag. He grabs a scone from the display case and hands it to her.

“On the house. Hot Pie’s new pumpkin scones. He wants to know what you think.”

“Oh, thanks,” Arya takes a bite, trying not to get crumbs all over the floor. Hot Pie’s baking is always buttery and rich and the scone is no exception.

Gendry’s gaze fixates on her intently. Serious. More serious than she’s ever seen him.

“Tell him it’s delicious,” she replies mid-chew, wondering if she should’ve just taken it to-go. “See you tomorrow.”

When she settles into her seat in the lecture hall, she notices he’s drawn little acorns on her coffee cup.

* * *

The Bull’s latest audio is titled “The Regular.”

Arya abandons studying for her midterm, instead dimming the lights and getting herself comfortable in bed. She hits play and that familiar voice fills her ears, feather soft and husky.

_I think about you every day but I can never find the right words to say. So I just take your order instead. The usual: a large Americano, no cream or sugar. Your lips taste sweet anyway. I’ve craved the taste of you._

Her coffee order. She supposes it’s a relatively common coffee order but it sends a jolt of recognition through her. Like this was made for her. She knows The Bull probably has no idea who she is, just another username on his Patreon who’s a little overactive in the comments, but it helps with the fantasy.

The Bull continues the one-sided conversation with his supposed favorite customer, the regular he’s been pining after who has felt the same way about him all along.

The sound of a messy kiss, a release of tension. The rustling of clothes being removed. The clink of a belt unbuckling.

_Go on, touch it. Oh, sweetheart. Look at what you do to me, how fucking hard you make me. Show me. Show me how much you’ve wanted this cock. You know what to do._

Arya closes her eyes and starts to stroke herself, loving it when his voice hitches. There’s Gendry again, because he’s always there. When she thinks of a man with broad hands who can hold her down in the way she likes, he’s the only one who comes to mind. She imagines the voice is his, that they’re fooling around in the cafe after hours in the back office.

_But I want to come inside you._

_Sit on the table and spread your legs for me. How do you like to be touched? That’s a good girl. Let me get on my knees and slide a finger in. You’re nearly dripping. It’s okay, I like it a little messy. Messy and ready. Can I add another finger?_

She does the same in accordance with his narration. He was right, she’s already soaked.

_I know you’re always sneaking looks at me while I’m making your coffee. I bet you’re wondering what it would feel like. My hands on you. Inside you. Filling you up._

_Do you know what it means to me that you trust me like this?_

The wet sounds intensify, speeding up until all at once, they abruptly stop.

His deep chuckle.

_You thought I’d let you come? After you teased me the other day, eating every crumb of that pastry while licking your lips like that? Or the time you came into the cafe in this brown dress you insisted was hideous but actually made my heart stop? I’ll be honest. I just couldn’t stop staring at your legs. Did you notice I couldn’t get out two words? I notice everything about you._

_Turn around, hands on the table. You know what I’m going to do now? I want to feel your tight little cunt around me. I want to hear you moan. I’ve wanted you this whole time, sweetheart. You’ve wanted me too, haven’t you? Are you ready?_

A thrust and a grunt of satisfaction. Arya shivers. She kicks down her covers and flicks on her vibrator, pressing it lightly against her entrance. A moan escapes her at the contact, her body jerking away from the stimulation.

_Does that feel good? Oh sweetheart, I know it’s big. But you need it, don’t you? You stretch around me so well. Don’t worry, I’ll go slow. To start._

She works the vibrator against her clit, sliding it inside in shallow strokes.

_Look at me. You feel even better than I imagined you would._

_When you gave me that gorgeous smile, I knew you wanted this as much as I did. Gods, ar…are…are you going to come for me?_

She loves how wrecked he sounds. How he stumbles over his words. Especially that last part, which sounds dangerously like her name. She pretends it’s Gendry tripping over the syllables, robbed of the ability to voice coherent thoughts.

There are still a few minutes remaining but she can tell this track will be one of her favorites.

_Oh, yes. You’re close, aren’t you? Don’t be shy. You can do it. I want you to come for me. Come all over this cock._

_Make. Me. Proud._

At the rough command, Arya shakes with the force of her orgasm, a surprised moan falling from her mouth as she twitches from the aftershocks. She takes a few deep breaths, relishing in The Bull’s panting as he reaches his own peak.

She turns off the vibrator but listens to the last bit of the audio before cleaning up. The endings are always a nice touch of softness and adoration. The moments put a smile on her face — and make her feel a little bit less like a degenerate who gets themselves off to a voice.

She’s basking in the afterglow of her orgasm when The Bull’s last words stop her cold. Just to be sure she’s heard him right, she rewinds and listens again. Three times.

She realizes why that voice — the voice that caresses her to sleep and makes her breath run shallow with just a few emphatic syllables — is so familiar.

_Why don’t I run us a hot shower and then I’ll go get us some more of those pumpkin scones you like?_


	2. show me yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Flustered” is not how she would normally describe herself. But what was a reasonable reaction when you suspected your crush — the man you fantasized about while touching yourself — was also the sinful voice that made you come harder than you ever have in your life?_
> 
> Arya and Gendry bond over tattoos, music, and caffeine while she debates confronting him about his after-hours profession. Meanwhile, The Bull continues making more recordings that test her patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed I bumped the chapter count but I was trying to figure out how everything would be revealed and ended up writing 3500 words of fluff and sexual frustration ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> I promise there will be a third and final chapter!
> 
> Things that helped me write this chapter: scrubclubs' fantastic fic [arya, please](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22979248/chapters/54935182), Ross Gay's essay collection _The Book of Delights_ , and r/gonewildaudio for "research"

The following week, Arya finds herself more flustered than usual when talking to Gendry. “Flustered” is not how she would normally describe herself. But what was a reasonable reaction when you suspected your crush — the man you fantasized about while touching yourself — was also the sinful voice that made you come harder than you ever have in your life?

The weather has cooled significantly and Gendry is wearing a red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. When he hands her the coffee, she’s so distracted by his forearms that she fumbles with the cup with uncharacteristic clumsiness, knocking its scalding contents back onto him.

“I’m so sorry,” Arya gasps, grabbing a stack of napkins.

Gendry winces at the hot coffee, which thankfully only spilled a bit on the front of his shirt.

All of a sudden, he starts unbuttoning and pulling his arms out of the sleeves. Is this a dream or is Gendry actually stripping right there in the cafe? 

Underneath, he’s wearing a black tank top that clings to the contours of his body. Even in the summer, his biceps are usually covered by t-shirts. Arya’s mouth goes dry.

That’s when she spies it. On his right bicep is a tattoo. A minimal, single line drawing of a bull.

“Have you always had that tattoo?” Arya gulps, trying to keep her voice light as she hands Gendry the remaining napkins.

Gendry twists to look at his arm, “Got it when I was a teenager. Everyone was always calling me stubborn so I thought I’d prove them right. Why?”

“It’s uh…it’s nice. Suits you.”

She wants to trace the lines of his tattoo with her tongue.

“Thanks. Do you have any tattoos?”

“Weirwood leaves.”

“Where?” Gendry pauses dabbing at his shirt, his eyes meeting hers and holding her in place with his stare.

“Why do you want to know?” Arya teases.

His ears turn pink and he tries to shrug it off. Is he _flustered_? It’s almost cute how a simple question is enough to send him spinning when he has no idea how much his own words have affected her.

She laughs and leans over the counter, “My left rib.”

To torture him a little more, she runs a finger over her shirt where her tattoo is, relishing in the way Gendry’s gaze falls not so subtly to her chest.

“Can I see it?” he murmurs, transfixed by her lingering movements.

“For that, you’ll have to buy me more than just a coffee.”

“Oh, I didn’t — Seven Hells,” Gendry’s face flushes and he quickly averts his eyes to look at the soggy pile of napkins on the surface in front of him. “Sorry, that came out wrong.”

“I’m just fucking with you,” Arya chuckles. “Though I wouldn’t be opposed to getting a drink sometime.”

A shy smile flickers across Gendry’s face. She has a hard time reconciling The Bull with Gendry, that the man who croons in her ear _I want to make a mess out of you_ is the same man before her who embarrasses this easily.

Arya rifles around in her bag for her phone and pulls up a picture of her tattoo. Sansa had taken it the day she got it. She hadn’t worn a bra but her shirt was only just lifted over the fresh tattoo, the redness obvious against the paleness of her skin.

Gendry’s large hand envelops her own to get a better look at the image. Arya almost jerks at his touch, thinking about all the times she’s imagined those hands exploring her body, circling her wrists, dipping into her depths and leaving her gasping.

“’S good,” he says, his voice falling to the same octave she’s used to hearing in his audio. Now, it’s her turn to blush.

The slight parting of Gendry’s lips is undeniable proof. He _wants_ her. And he has no idea she knows what he does outside the coffee shop.

* * *

Unable to focus on her history lecture, Arya twirls her pencil while weighing the pros and cons of telling Gendry about her realization. Pro: he could appreciate her interest, reciprocate her feelings, and maybe make her come with something other than his voice. Con: he could think she’s a creepy stalker, consider it a massive violation of boundaries, and never talk to her again.

She considers the idea of not saying anything at all. What if she just pretended that she knew nothing about his after-hours job and asked him out on a normal date?

Arya doodles as the professor drones on, picturing herself with Gendry — at a restaurant, with her friends, holding hands in the park, laying in bed — while hiding the fact she knows about The Bull. It would be an impossible balancing act, a strange dynamic that no doubt would reveal itself quickly.

There is no divorcing The Bull from Gendry or Gendry from The Bull. Not anymore.

* * *

Arya sits on this information for another few weeks. No moment ever seems right, though she has plenty.

Ever since her coffee mishap, she and Gendry have made tentative gestures to get to know each other better. In addition to stopping by Crossroads on her way to morning classes, Arya comes back in the evenings when it’s emptier. Gendry adjusts his schedule so that he’s the one to close.

With fewer customers, he finds excuses to sit and chat with her more often and comes by her table offering a refill on her hot water. (After the first few days of over-caffeinating herself, she switched to tea in the afternoons.)

Gendry curates the cafe’s playlist with razor sharp focus, hunching over his phone when he has a spare moment and refusing even Hot Pie’s suggestions.

Or maybe he’s checking the comments on his latest recording.

Arya has listened to more of The Bull’s past posts than ever before (to confirm her hypothesis, or so she convinces herself), but she’s dialed back on her commenting. Her Patreon username is thankfully unrelated to her name and her personal details are hidden to creators, but she now finds herself unable to type out her lurid appreciation in the comments knowing that Gendry is the one reading them.

“I like the new Brotherhood Without Banners album too,” Arya comments one day after he’s played the lead single three times in a row.

She’d been rereading the same line in her textbook five times without processing it, too absorbed by the way Gendry’s hunter green sweater clung to his muscular frame.

Gendry looks up from the cash register, a bit bewildered to be spoken to but he relaxes when he sees it’s her.

“Although I still prefer their first album,” she chews on the end of her highlighter. “The opening of ’Name Day Boy’ is such a classic and I’ve listened to ‘Let Me Drink Your Beauty’ more times than I can count.”

“You prefer Tom to Lem? Isn’t he kind of old?”

“What can I say? He sings all the spicy stuff. And I love a guy with a good voice.”

The words leave Arya’s mouth before she realizes what she’s saying and, more importantly, who she’s saying it to.

If Gendry realizes the double meaning of her words, he doesn’t let it show. He just quietly clears his throat and nods, “Yeah, I guess he is good at that.”

“What about you?” she asks.

Gendry pauses counting a stack of bills, “What about me?”

“What’s your favorite Brotherhood album?”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he relaxes. “Second one for sure. It’s got ‘King Without Courage.’ They’re one of the only bands to ever sidestep a sophomore slump.”

“You think?”

They argue passionately, almost track by track, the merits of the Brotherhood’s discography. Gendry abandons his task, hoisting himself up onto the counter to sit facing Arya at her usual corner table. His back is hunched and his long legs dangle in front of him. Arya finds herself mirroring his smile and delights in his laugh which is a loud, emphatic “ha.” The whole time they talk, he fiddles with a paper straw, repeatedly folding and unfolding it like an accordion. His long elegant fingers make for a very pleasing distraction.

It isn’t until a customer tentatively walks in asking if they’re still open that they realize they’ve talked past closing time. The spell is broken and Gendry swings his legs back over the edge to finish doing inventory.

“If you want to play anything in the cafe sometime, just let me know,” Gendry tells Arya as she packs up her things. “It’s whatever, they’re just Bluetooth speakers.”

“Thanks Gendry.”

It’s a good thing they have half of the cafe between them because the way Gendry’s jaw twitches makes her want to launch herself into his arms.

* * *

The Bull’s latest audio is titled “Show Me Yours.”

If “The Regular” had been enough to shock her system, then this one unravels her and puts her back together again.

Gendry’s voice is soft, caressing her ear and eliciting goosebumps on her arms.

_I love hearing your breath hitch as I skim my hands over your breasts, stopping at the tattoo on your ribs. I’ve been wanting to look at it up close. Weirwood leaves, was it?_

Arya lightly palms her own breast, brushing the leaves inked on her skin and wishing they were Gendry’s lips instead.

_Lay back and relax, sweetheart. I’ll take of you._

_God, you’re so tight around just one of my fingers. I can tell when you whimper that this feels good, doesn’t it?_

At this point, she’s snuck so many glances at Gendry’s hands that she knows she would probably stretch around just one of his fingers. God, she wants to try.

A beat. A growl.

_Answer me._

“Yes,” she pants to her empty room, sliding her hand down her body to touch herself.

_You’re ready for more? There’s no need to rush, sweetheart. We’ve got all night. I want to take my time with you. But since you’re begging so prettily, I’ll slip another finger inside you. Ah, that’s the good spot, isn’t it?_

The sound effects intensify and they're not dissimilar to her own explorations. Then, there’s a pause. Arya kicks at her covers, frustrated but eager for what he has in store.

_I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to get on my knees to get a good look at you, to see what’s mine. Spread your legs for me. You’re so pretty here, so wet for me. Let me taste you._

Arya bites her lip to muffle the loud moan that bubbles up from her throat. She imagines Gendry’s dark head of hair between her thighs, his strong hands bracketing her hips and holding her against his mouth. She rubs her clit as the recording dissolves into lurid laving of wet flesh and Gendry’s greedy growls for her orgasm.

_Fuck, that was incredible, sweetheart. I could watch you come for hours. But we’ll leave that for another day. Oh, does that excite you? That I could just keep you coming and coming until you beg for mercy?_

_Feel how much I want you, how fucking hard I am for you. Haven’t you craved a taste of this cock?_

_I want you to stuff yourself with two fingers while I stuff your mouth with my cock. Get yourself ready for me, because after this, you’re going to stretch around me and ride it. Nod if you understand._

_Greedy girl, you’ve already come once. You don’t get to come until I say so._

This Gendry is much more commanding than the perennially blushing Gendry she’s come to know. This Gendry groans lewdly in her ear and she feels herself flood with wetness at the idea of taking him in her mouth and making him lose control.

_You’re doing such a good job. Suck me just like that, give me what I need. Almost there, sweetheart. Fu-fuck, now come with me._

Her body follows Gendry’s instructions immediately, her spine lifting off the bed as she comes, shaking and simultaneously feeling satisfied and bereft. Arya draws in deep breaths. All she can think about is Gendry — his voice, his wants, his smile, his touch.

How amazing it would feel to make him come undone as he’s unwittingly done to her so many times.

* * *

The next time she goes to Crossroads Cafe, the place is empty even though it’s only 4:30pm. Gendry is drying plates behind the counter, his back turned away from the entrance. Over the speaker, Tom Sevenstrings is crooning the sultry chorus of 'Let Me Drink Your Beauty.'

“You’re playing it!” she exclaims, shaking Gendry out of his reverie.

Gendry flashes her a grin and it sends a warm feeling down her spine.

She tosses her bag onto a table and joins Gendry. He puts the kettle on and they listen to the song in companionable silence. Arya closes her eyes and hums along, tapping her fingers against her thigh. When the last few chords fade out, she finds Gendry sitting at her table, a cup of tea set out for her and a mug of coffee for him.

Arya slides into the seat across from him and reaches for the sugar packets.

Gendry covers her hand with his, the light touch enough to be electrifying, “I already added sugar. You like it sweet, right?”

_That’s my good girl, taking everything I give you. God, I love your sweet little cunt._

She nods and takes a sip, trying to calm her nerves. Gendry follows her lead and downs his coffee. It almost feels like a date.

“In all the times I’ve been here, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink coffee,” Arya muses. “How do you like it?”

Gendry chokes on his coffee, “Excuse me?”

“How do you like your coffee? Do you have a sweet tooth too?”

“Ah, not so much. Any strong brew will do really.”

There are little stains on the rim of the mug from where the coffee dribbled down. Gendry licks the little rivulets to clean the cup. He does this while looking out the window, not realizing that Arya is slowly being reduced to a puddle by the sight of his tongue.

_I want to lick you until you scream._

“How do you do this Bluetooth pairing thing again?” Arya takes out her phone and offers it to Gendry.

He taps a few buttons on her screen and shows her how to connect to the cafe’s speakers. He locks her phone and hands it back to her, catching sight of the direwolf that’s set as her lock screen.

“That’s my dog, Nymeria,” she sighs. “Until I get a bigger place in a dog-friendly building, she lives with my parents in Winterfell.”

“Nymeria, like Princess Nymeria from the stories?” Gendry asks. “N-Y-M-E-R-I-A?”

“Yeah,” she chuckles. “I loved those books as a kid. I wanted to be just like her.”

“So you’re studying to be a secret warrior queen.”

“Obviously.”

“Then consider me your humble subject.”

“Shut up, you wouldn’t be my subject.”

“I would serve you.”

The image of Gendry on his knees comes unbidden to Arya. How he would worship her and shower praises into her skin. How he did just that in his last recording.

“Coffee,” he clarifies after a beat. “I would serve you coffee.”

Arya bursts out laughing and kicks Gendry’s shins.

With all their talk of royalty, Arya tests out the Bluetooth connection by playing ‘King Without Courage.’

Gendry’s eyes meet hers over their respective cups. He doesn’t look away.

* * *

The shop is much busier when Arya arrives to cram for her finals. She was fully expecting to be relegated to a barstool at one of the counters facing the back window, but her table is miraculously free. No doubt due to a little card propped against the sugar packet holder that says: _Reserved_. Arya recognizes it as Gendry’s handwriting from all the times he’s doodled things (and her name) on her to-go orders.

Arya pockets the paper and tries to catch Gendry’s eye. He throws her a wide smile back, distracted so much that the milk frother explodes quite spectacularly in his face.

She spreads out her books and papers. Gendry brings over a pot of tea for her but doesn’t linger, the line of customers unusually long for a Thursday afternoon.

When she starts getting bleary-eyed, Arya looks up from her studying and sees a tall red-haired woman with her hip angled suggestively against the counter, talking — no, flirting — with Gendry. Arya chews on her pen cap as she watches them, unable to help the little flare of jealousy that wells up.

Against her better judgment, she covertly navigates to The Bull’s website on her phone. Listening to his latest audio, which explicitly mentions _her_ tattoo, calms her nerves a bit. Leggy women could chat up Gendry all they wanted, but he only wanted her.

The redhead eventually leaves, but Arya lets The Bull’s deep voice continue playing. Meanwhile Gendry hurries around the cafe wiping down tables, restocking napkins, and making drinks.

Finally, it’s just the two of them.

“Busy day, huh?” Arya says, taking one earbud out.

“Finals are always the best and worst time for us,” Gendry sighs, slumping into the seat across from her.

“Want some help closing up?”

“Don’t you have to cram for that Westerosi History exam?”

Arya shrugs, “I’ve done enough for today. Let me go to the bathroom real quick and I can help with the dishes.”

“Bless you, Arya.”

“On one condition,” Arya pauses. “I get to be the Bluetooth Wizard today.”

Gendry nods as if it’s the most reasonable request in the world.

Arya hums as she washes her hands and takes her time fixing her hair in the mirror. When she walks back down the hallway, there’s a sinking feeling in her stomach.

_I’ve been wanting to look at it up close. Weirwood leaves, was it?_

_God, you’re so tight around just one of my fingers._

Arya breaks out into a run at the sound of The Bull’s audio playing over the speakers. _Fuckfuckfuck this can’t be happening._

Standing in the middle of the cafe is Gendry, holding her phone a little away from his body, as though he’s been burned.

“Sorry,” he blurts out, head whipping up to meet her wild eyes. “Your phone was ringing so I unplugged your headphones and then it paired automatically to the speakers and — shit, Arya, I didn’t mean—“

Arya wrestles the phone from him and hits pause before the intense sound effects can start. She’s sure her face must be burning red.

Gendry regards her with a careful stare. He doesn’t make any movements towards her. Perhaps he doesn’t want to frighten her.

“I uh, didn’t know you listened to that kind of thing.”

He’s trying to lighten the mood.

Arya chances a glance at him and judgment is absent from his eyes. There’s no anger or sense of betrayal, just a hint of amusement. The coil of tension that’s been knotted inside her slowly releases. Maybe this could be the moment she’s been trying to plan for.

“I like your voice a lot,” she says, hoping that her own voice isn’t quavering too much.

Gendry blushes until the red tinges the tips of his ears. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, but doesn’t seem capable of forming a coherent sentence.

“This is you, right?” Arya hits play again.

_Feel how much I want you, how fucking hard I am for you._

Gendry reaches over, pauses it, and sighs, “Yes, it is. How did you even realize it was me?”

“Sansa sent me some article awhile back about audio erotica and, well, let’s just say you’re a very popular figure in that space. I mean, I had a crush on you _and_ I was listening to your posts but I didn’t even realize The Bull was you. It wasn’t until you did that one called ‘The Regular.’ You mentioned um, scones.”

Arya gets it all out in one long-winded rush.

“I usually try to keep things anonymous, but you kind of tested that boundary for me,” Gendry rubs his neck. “Guess it serves me right. Does it bother you?” 

“No!”

She’d been worrying he’d see her as a stalker when in reality, he wasn’t sure how she’d respond to his profession.

“Wait, so you like me and you like _this_?” Gendry tilts his head at her phone.

“Yes, you idiot, I like you a lot. Every version of you. My browsing history would probably say too much.”

“Oh yeah?” Gendry’s lips curl into a smirk. She’s never seen him smirk before, and oh, it makes her a little weak in the knees. “Any favorites?”

“Plenty,” Arya arches an eyebrow and takes a step closer to him. She trails her hand up his chest and rests it over the bicep with his tattoo. “But I’d rather show you.”

Gendry’s eyes darken and they fall to her parted mouth. His tongue darts out to wet his lips.

When he tucks a curl of hair behind her ear, Arya thinks he’s finally going to kiss her. Instead, he takes her hand in his, his grip no longer tentative but firm and assured, and whispers, “Let’s get out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi [on Tumblr](https://keepthemclose.tumblr.com/)!


	3. just for us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _He takes a few steps towards her as she lists all the episodes he’s done with her in mind. His brain draws some connections between each title and their content, building up a vague idea of Arya’s preferences. Despite Arya’s brash talk and sarcastic quips all those afternoons in the cafe, she desires a firm hand, to surrender her ironclad control to someone she trusts with her pleasure._
> 
> Arya and Gendry finally stop dancing around each other and Arya gets to experience The Bull's expertise firsthand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moment you've all been waiting for...almost 4000 words of straight smut!

Gendry has to blink a few times to make sure it isn’t another one of his dreams. Arya Stark is really here, in his apartment, wearing a shy smile that she has, in no few words, invited him to kiss off.

* * *

After the Bluetooth speaker mishap and a succession of revelations, they’d quickly packed up their things and abandoned Crossroads. Gendry clutched Arya’s hand the whole five blocks back to his place, both of them too giddy with excitement to say much as they walked. He fumbled with his keys, dropping them in his nervousness.

Arya picked them up and handed them to him.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “Gendry. Look at me.”

He glanced over at her and saw that all signs of flirtation were gone from her face, replaced instead by a look of concern and openness that stopped his heart.

“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”

With a speed he didn’t know he possessed, Gendry had Arya pressed up against the wall next to his apartment door, his hands cupping her face and his mouth devouring hers. She sank easily into the fierce kiss, her own small hands coming up to grip fistfuls of his shirt.

_Ah, fuck, this shouldn’t be your first kiss, hauling her up against the wall like some animal. She deserves better than this._

But now that he’d gotten a taste — Earl Grey, sugar, and a lemony sweetness that couldn’t be traced back to the cafe — he couldn’t stop. It was only when Arya let out a particularly loud gasp that he was brought back to his senses.

Her lips were parted and well-kissed. When he pulled back, her eyes remained closed for another beat before they slowly fluttered open.

“I don’t want there to be any doubt in your mind that I want you,” Gendry said in a low voice. “I’ve wanted you, this — _us_ — for so long.”

Arya nodded but didn’t say anything. She was a bit uneven on her feet and her dazed look sent a rush of confidence through Gendry, enough for him to finally get the door open and pull her inside.

* * *

“I’ve never done this,” he admits, rocking back and forth on his heels. “I mean, I’ve had sex before. Just never with someone who knew about the…erotic audio stuff.”

“Is it weird that I’ve listened to you?” Arya asks. “It doesn’t have to change anything—"

“No, it’s not strange. It’s actually kind of refreshing. I’m curious, which posts were your favorite?”

He takes a few steps towards her as she lists all the episodes he’s done with her in mind. His brain draws some connections between each title and their content, building up a vague idea of Arya’s preferences. Despite Arya’s brash talk and sarcastic quips all those afternoons in the cafe, she desires a firm hand, to surrender her ironclad control to someone she trusts with her pleasure.

When he closes the distance between them, he bends down to kiss her neck.

“Do you want me to, you know, talk dirty to you?”

Arya laughs and he feels the reverberations from where they are connected, “Of course. Why would you ask that?”

“Just wanted to make sure. It’s different in real life.”

“But I don’t want you to just do it for my benefit,” she says. “I just want _you_ , Gendry.”

“Trust me, sweetheart. You have me.”

They kiss and stumble back onto Gendry’s couch, too eager for one another to make it to the bedroom. Arya sits astride Gendry, running her hands up and down his chest while their tongues tangle playfully.

He draws back briefly to ask, “Condom?”

“I’m on the pill. And you’re clean?”

“Yeah. Safe word?”

“Scone.”

“Seven Hells, I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Never.”

In response, Gendry skates his hands under Arya’s sweater, dragging the fabric up and off her. Arya beats him to unhooking her bra and he rewards her by palming and laving at her breasts the moment they’re revealed to him. They’re the perfect size to cup fully in his hands and he relishes the way her rosy nipples pebble immediately under his touch.

And there is her tattoo of weirwood leaves along her ribs, a fixation of his that has driven him mad. He traces the ink reverently, as if to confirm once more that this is truly happening.

“How often do you come when you listen to me?” he asks, right before he draws her left nipple into his mouth.

“Ah! A-at least two or three times. Sometimes five.”

“Then we’ll start at four.”

“What?”

Gendry chuckles and switches his attention to her other breast, “Four orgasms, sweetheart. How does that sound?”

“G-Good.”

“Do you like it when I play with your tits, Arya?”

She nods furiously, “It’s so much better when you do it.”

At the image she conjures, Gendry unceremoniously picks Arya up and dumps her on the couch. His left arm anchors around her waist as his right hand pulls off her underwear, all the while lavishing kisses on the curve of her waist and the taut swell of her stomach. Finally, he kneels on the ground before her and gently presses her legs open.

“Show me,” Gendry orders, taking in the sight of her so open for him. “Show me how you made yourself come. When you were listening to me, thinking of me.”

Arya slides her hand down her body and Gendry groans, watching every movement, cataloguing each twitch and spasm for later. _Better than your dreams. And the Seven know you’ve had enough dreams of her._

Arya lets out a frustrated laugh, “I usually use my vibrator.”

Gendry bites the skin of her inner thigh, making her yelp and giggle.

“Need something bigger, is that it?” he taunts, his hand skimming up her leg until his fingers hover over her center.

Arya holds her breath as Gendry teases the wetness at her opening for a torturous few minutes before finally sliding one thick digit inside her.

“Rub your clit while I finger your tight little pussy.”

She complies instantly and it sends a thrill down his spine. The juxtaposition of her small hand against his large one makes his head spin.

“Fuck, you’re so tight. We’re going to need to do a lot to get you nice and ready for my cock.”

He fucks her lazily with that one finger until she’s arching up into his touch and begging.

“What do you need, sweetheart?”

“I need your fingers in my…” her voice trails off and hitches as he rotates his hand ever so slightly.

“Don’t worry, you can say it. Where do you want my fingers?”

“Inside my p-pussy,” the words tumble from her mouth and fuck if Arya pleading with him so lewdly doesn’t make him almost combust right there. From the blush on her cheeks, she isn’t used to being so vocal about what she wants.

In that moment, Gendry makes it his personal mission to ensure she never feels self-conscious about communicating her needs to him. Preferably in extremely specific and explicit details.

Gendry gets up from his position on the ground and braces one arm against the cushions near her head, “Shh, I’ve got you. I know what’ll make you feel good. Look up at me.”

Their eyes lock as Gendry sucks both his middle and ring finger and slips them, palm up, smoothly inside her. This time, he fucks her in earnest, working the slick out of her until she’s practically dripping over his hand. She’s so wet that he easily slides another digit inside her, tucking it neatly alongside the others. She keens with every thrust and her legs keep snapping shut from the stretch.

“Hold your legs open,” he says, soft but commanding.

Arya loops her elbows under her knees and looks back up at him, her face a mixture between awe and worry. Like she’s on the precipice of something she’s never felt before. Being with her here, Gendry feels the same.

“Shit, Gendry, that feels—“

“Is this what you wanted? My fingers in your sweet little cunt?”

“Yes! Fuck, I don’t think I’ve ever been this wet.”

A wave of possessiveness runs through him, “Is this all for me?”

She nods frantically, “Only for you, Gendry.”

Arya bucks against his hand and lets out a startled gasp as her legs shake with her release and she gushes around his fingers. Her chest heaves with deep breaths as she gathers herself in the aftermath.

Gendry withdraws his soaked fingers from her quivering pussy and savors the taste, “That’s one.”

* * *

Arya’s brain has disconnected from her body. She is sure of it. She’d been worried that the fantasy she’d conjured in her head would set unrealistic expectations, but Gendry has wildly surpassed them. Her heart is still racing and she wonders if it’s possible for one to come so hard they black out. His first time touching her and he’s already gotten so dangerously close.

“Gods, that was…”

Gendry pauses his soothing caresses on her cheek as she slowly opens her eyes to meet his.

“…way better than any of your recordings.”

He snorts and pinches her nipple, “It’d better be.”

Arya giggles and uses her remaining strength to pull him down to capture his lips. Gendry sinks onto the couch and maneuvers them so that she’s once again lying on top of him. Arya nips at his jaw and slides her hands under his shirt, delighting in how he shivers at her touch.

They work together to remove Gendry’s shirt and when he pulls her down for another filthy kiss, they both moan at the contact, finally feeling each other without anything in between. Then he’s tugging her up so that she’s kneeling on the couch arm, her cunt hovering right over his face.

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning you up. Don’t want this all to go to waste.”

If it hadn’t been for Gendry’s iron grip on her thighs, Arya is sure she would’ve keeled over at the first swipe of his tongue against her entrance. She can barely eke out a response before he begins lapping at her folds, his jaw working against her so well all she can do is flex her hands uselessly against her leg. 

Without missing a beat, Gendry grabs one of her trembling hands in his, holding it tight as she throws her head to the ceiling and wails his name. It doesn’t take many lashes of his talented tongue — which Arya is now intimately acquainted with in more ways than one — for her to teeter at the edge of release once again.

“Give it to me,” he growls against her, tightening his hold on her.

When he suckles her clit, Arya comes so hard she’s sure she’s going to break his hand.

The best thing about being with Gendry is hearing _him_. How breathless he’d been when he first kissed her in the hall, how wrecked his voice had sounded as he brought her to climax, and how he moans against her right now as he chases each droplet of her release. The softness with which he utters her name makes her shudder the most violently. Kneeling over him on weakened legs, she feels completely and utterly worshipped.

“That’s two,” he says against her heated skin.

* * *

Arya lets Gendry pick her up and carry her into his bedroom. He leaves briefly and returns with two glasses of water. He coaxes her to sit up and drink. They have a long night ahead of them.

“How are you feeling?” he asks.

“Amazing,” she purrs. “Can’t you tell?”

Her strength coming back to her, Arya takes Gendry’s glass and sets it on the nightstand. She motions for him to scoot so that he sits on the edge of the bed. Now, it’s her turn to kneel between his legs.

“Arya, you don’t have to—“

“I want to.”

Arya yanks off Gendry’s pants and briefs. He’s large and thick, much larger than any other man she’s been intimate with. _We’re going to need to do a lot to get you nice and ready for my cock._ He hadn’t been kidding.

There’s still a glint of uncertainty in his eyes and she realizes that the only way to convince him otherwise is to tell him what _she_ wants. To be as bare and honest with him as he’s been with her.

She steels herself for her admission, “Do you know how often I’ve dreamed of your cock? Holding it, sucking it, being filled by it? And now you’re finally mine.”

Arya takes his shaft in one hand and laves from root to tip. When Gendry’s hips shoot up at her touch, she places her other palm on his thigh to hold him in place.

She takes him in her mouth fully, luxuriating in the velvety hardness and the unique taste that’s just Gendry. She bobs her head, slowly at first, hollowing her cheeks and pausing to circle her tongue around the tip. When she flicks her eyes up to take him in, his brows are furrowed in concentration.

_He’s beautiful like this._

“Oh sweetheart, just like that,” Gendry groans, chest rising and falling from the exertion. “Your hot little mouth is perfect, stuffed full of my cock.”

Arya falters at that. It’s all of his recordings come to life, but ten times better because as he says it, he slides a hand into her hair and lightly presses her further down his length.

“Use both hands,” he instructs. “Wrap both your little hands around me.”

She speeds up her movements, letting Gendry guide her. Even when he thrusts a little too deep and makes her eyes water, she doesn’t mind. Arya wants him to be as lost in her as she is in him, unable to control his basest impulses.

With a concerted grunt, Gendry pulls her off his cock. Arya is sure she looks a right mess, her hair mussed and wild, mouth swollen and pouty, and a string of saliva still connects her to his erection.

“The first time I come, I want to be inside of you.”

She shudders. He draws her up and lays her back on his sheets.

“Would you like that, sweetheart?” Gendry presses one of her legs against the mattress, surveying her wetness. “For me to fuck you and fill you up?”

“Yes.”

* * *

Gendry places a brief, wet kiss to Arya’s mouth as she grasps him and positions him at her entrance. Both of them watch as he presses insistently into her tight heat, fixated on the way his cock sinks into her soaking heat until their hips are flush.

Arya almost draws blood from biting her lip, though it doesn’t entirely muffle the breathy moan that escapes her as Gendry is embedded firmly inside her. He lets out an accompanying groan, the feeling of her painfully exquisite. Gendry catches her hand and presses it to her abdomen, holding her steady as he withdraws and thrusts back in deep, steady strokes. Her slight wince doesn’t escape his notice.

“You can handle it, Arya,” he says, his voice low and tense. “I know you can. I know what you can take. Trust me.”

She nods, tightening her grip as the pressure builds. The surrender in her eyes has Gendry kissing her senseless again, hungry to swallow each of the gasps and startled yelps that he works out of her.

“You’re being so good for me,” he breathes against her cheek.

Arya tenses around him.

“You like that,” he says, though he hasn’t phrased it as a question.

“Uh huh,” she mumbles, unable to say anything more coherent. It feels so good to have Gendry just take care of her.

He keeps his pace slow and intense, not to tease or to prove anything but just to savor. When she comes around his cock for the first time, he wants to see every flicker of pleasure on her face.

“Please,” Arya whines, finally shaking her hand free of his as he works her to the point of delirium. “Please make me come.”

Gendry wraps her lithe legs around his waist and gathers her ass in his hands to hold her in place as he speeds up. She isn’t able to arch away from him, can only take what he gives her. The change in angle makes Arya pant a chorus of his name and “please,” somehow audible despite the pounding of blood in his ears and the obscene wet sounds they’re making.

“That’s my good girl,” Gendry growls. “I can feel it. Come on. Let go. I’ve got you.”

He pauses his thrusting as she comes, the fluttering around his shaft almost doing him in. But he manages to see the pure pleasure on Arya’s face as she crests, her head thrown back in ecstasy, the shivers that run through her as she continues chanting his name like a benediction.

_That was three._

* * *

Arya is boneless. As she comes down, Gendry peppers kisses across her collarbone. He’s still hard inside her and though she’s taken him like he said she would, the stretch of him is still enough to make her quaver.

Gendry slips out of her, smearing slickness on her inner thighs. She allows him to roll her over onto her front. At this point, he can maneuver her however he likes.

“That was beautiful, Arya,” he says against the skin of her lower back. “I could watch you come for hours.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?”

Gendry sighs exasperatedly, “Come on, I’m trying to give you some of my best stuff here.”

Arya giggles, “Sorry. For the record, this _is_ your best work. I…I wish I had a recording of this.”

She feels Gendry freeze behind her as if considering her proposition, then ventures tentatively, “Another time.”

She looks over her shoulder, “Promise?”

He surges forward and brushes his lips against hers, “Promise. Are you still good?”

She nods, giving him a small smile. It washes the concern from his face and she beams. She can’t remember ever having sex where she’s been brought to near tears one minute and is then grinning like an idiot the next. Somehow, Gendry makes all the contradictions make sense.

Gendry shifts and notches himself at her entrance, entering her in one smooth thrust. Arya calls out a broken “oh,” the feeling of him so much more intense in this position.

“Tell me how it feels.”

“Deep,” she whimpers. “And full, fuck, I-I’ve never felt this full.”

“And your tight little cunt is taking me so well. Shit, you were made for this, weren’t you?”

He wedges his right arm between her waist and the mattress, pulling her back onto him just as he pushes forward. She swallows a yelp. Her heart is hammering out of her chest and he’s barely begun.

Gendry comes to lie fully on top of her, his left arm braced above her head while his hips grind against her.

He croons praises in her ear, “It feels good to finally feel you beneath me. Every twitch, every hitch of your breath, it’s for me isn’t it, sweetheart?”

When she doesn’t answer, his hand trails to her clit and gives it a vicious pinch.

“It’s all for you,” she keens, head lolling into his shoulder. She moans into his tattoo and it’s the hottest thing he’s ever seen.

Gendry’s grunts come faster as the rhythmic creaking of the bed intensifies, his breath tickling the shell of her ear. The light smack of skin on skin fills the room. She’s surrounded by Gendry, no longer aware of anything except raw sensation.

Arya clutches at the sheets in desperation.

“Don’t you dare hold it in,” he snaps. Already, he knows her body so well.

“Don’t you dare hold back,” she urges, wiggling her hips against him as best as she can.

And he doesn’t. Arya quickly realizes that Gendry had been holding back even in their last round. Gone are the undulating motions carefully designed to seduce. Instead, he pounds into her until she’s babbling, powerful lunges that almost push her up the bed and suddenly all she can hear are his harsh smacks against her and his plea, _Arya, come for me_. It sends her spiraling within a matter of moments.

_Four, like he promised._

* * *

One of Gendry’s hands slides up to tilt her face back towards him, his thumb caressing her jaw as he holds her in place to cover her mouth with his. Their tongues meet languidly as his weight continues to pin her to the bed.

He holds her there with her neck craned towards him as she finishes and he hurtles towards his own release. His movements lose their finesse and although he can sense Arya is on the knife’s edge of overstimulation, she stays still for him, letting him reach completion inside her.

“Take every last drop,” he mutters as he hilts himself so deep she chokes a moan. “That’s a good girl.”

They lay like that, connected, catching their breath and trying to reorient themselves after the seismic shift in their relationship. A few hours ago, they were just friends harboring secret crushes. Now, everything is out in the open and his spend is dripping onto her thighs.

Arya lets out a noise as he moves off of her. Gendry’s jaw clenches at the sight of their combined come peeking from between her legs.

He cleans himself quickly in the bathroom and puts on a pot of tea in the kitchen. There aren’t any scones from the cafe, but there are a few of Hot Pie’s ginger biscuits. Arya remains silent in the room and Gendry wonders if she’s fallen asleep.

He arranges a few cups and saucers on a tray, making sure there’s also a pot of sugar.

When he rejoins Arya in the bedroom, she’s standing over his desk where his laptop and microphone sit. _Wearing his shirt._

“So this is where the magic happens,” she smirks, sauntering over to him.

He sets the tray on the desk and she rubs his shoulder in a wordless thank you. As she stirs some sugar into her tea, he can’t resist kissing her cheek. The casual intimacy that’s now available to them is somehow just as exciting as having her naked in his bed.

“Pretty sure what we just did was magic,” he replies. It’s sappy and he fully expects Arya to make fun of him. Instead, the tips of her ears turn a lovely shade of pink and she takes a sip of tea to avoid saying anything.

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you suggest using some of my recording equipment,” he adds, gesturing to her snooping.

“Do all your girlfriends get featured on your tracks?” Arya asks, knowing full well there has been no one who knows him like she does. “I thought your FAQ said all of your sound effects were made on your own.”

Gendry tugs her into his arms, “That’ll be just for us.”

 _Us._ She likes the sound of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos give me life! Come say hi [on Tumblr](https://keepthemclose.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
